I’ve had Remy for two weeks and have been walking him every morning and evening and for the most part he enjoys walking. Every once in a while however, he will stop and sphinx sit. I am not sure what triggers it, because I at first assumed he was tired so I’d end the walks short. Only when I would arrive home, he’d be full of energy and would want to play. I have had days where I am able to walk him for at most an hour and he is still excited to walk so I know his limit now. But I’d love to be able to not have anymore off Sphinx sit days. I’ve tried looking up different things, and one article said I should excite him with treats but on his worst days I would need more than a few treats. I’d really appreciate any sort of input from other Shiba owners :)

My guess is that it has been hot where you live. Most dogs try to limit their activity when it is hot. Try doing longer walks earlier and later when it is cooler out. If it is still pretty warm there (especially if you are walking on pavement or sidewalks), do shorter walks and more structured play inside.

Casey, with Bella and Nola, hanging out in the mountains of Virginia.I Wander, I Ride

My guess is that it has been hot where you live. Most dogs try to limit their activity when it is hot. Try doing longer walks earlier and later when it is cooler out. If it is still pretty warm there (especially if you are walking on pavement or sidewalks), do shorter walks and more structured play inside.

I usually take him around the neighborhood at around 7 am when it’s not hot yet and then I take him on walks to a nearby park with nature trails and a river around 7/8 when the sun goes down but I try bringing water for him to drink. I might need to do more structured play inside during the hotter days though. What sort of structured play would you recommend? I’m currently trying to teach him to fetch toys and I’m unsure what else would work for him.

@anthonyy - I actually had this issue with my German shepherds when they were puppies. We figured out that it was them saying, "I am too tired to continue, maybe you'll pick me up and carry me home" :) He might need to build up some stamina! My Shiba Senketsu usually just lollygags behind me once he gets tired, and hasn't yet tried sitting, but that would be my first guess.

As for structured play indoors, Senketsu absolutely loses his mind when I get down in a "play bow" position and beat my hands on the carpet. He copies me with his little paws. Then I'll start clapping a beat and chanting "zoomies, zoomies, zoomies" and he'll run his Shiba 500 laps around our coffee table! I know this sounds so weird but Senketsu absolutely loves it. Maybe getting down on his level and getting him riled up would be fun as long as he doesn't get too rough!

I'm not sure if this is what's causing your dog to stop, but we've had this happen with both our Shibas now. Bonsai did it frequently when he was a small puppy and Zuko is doing it now too. We call it the Shiba Stop, haha. They just come to a dead halt and absolutely refuse to move, basically forcing you to pick them up. As Bonsai got older he grew out of it, so we assumed it was him just telling us he was tired of his leash and wanted to run around free, which for him is a big no-no. As he got used to leash walking he got a lot better. He only stops now if he smells something really interesting along the way.

In terms of more indoor play, sometimes Bonsai would get so restless inside the only way to get his energy out was to get on the floor with him and play a little rough and trigger zoomies, like @callofspacey said above. I'd cover my hands with my sleeves and swipe at him over and over and he'd get riled up enough to start the zoomies for a good while. That tuckers them out pretty well. (Disclaimer, DO NOT RECOMMEND the hand swiping method if your Shiba is having trouble with controlling their mouthiness or won't listen when you ask them to stop. I'd use a toy instead in that case.) I haven't had to do rough play with Zuko yet because he and Bonsai trigger their own zoomies while they play together, haha. Poor little guy can't keep up with his big brother. :))

So now that I haven’t had any issues with him sitting, I'm having a different issue. He seems to now pull on his leash and try to pull me in the direction we’re walking. My previous family dog did have some issues when walking but never like this. It’s usually not a problem because I “enough” mark him and if he doesn’t stop after 3 times I pick him up and put him in a temporary time out by hold him while my hand covers his eyes and stay in place. It seems to work because after his few leash tugging he walks along me perfectly. I wanted to see if anyone knew why he did this though, because it’s typically at the beginning of the walks for about 3-4 days now and it’s a bit of an odd thing for him to do. Is it because he still getting used to walking and trying different methods? :-?

Leash pulling is a very very common issue for many dogs, not just puppies. If you keep doing proper leash training you can make it a less frequent thing. He's still a baby, it'll take time to learn proper leash manners. We use a no-pull harness for Bonsai to help him out. You can hook it on the chest or on the back. We usually use the back hook, but if he's pulling a lot we hook it to the chest and he slows right down because he knows if he pulls he'll get spun towards us instead of making progress forward. Sometimes they're just so excited they can't help themselves and need to be reminded that you're walking THEM, not the other way around.

I couldn't find a similar issue/solutions in the thread so bumping. Bandit HATES walking away from home, he starts grabbing my leg and humping/biting it (he's 11 weeks right now). Initally, I was just using drop it or no and off (which he knows) to get him to let go, but it's miserable walking him. I am trying treats today which helped to keep him moving in a more positive manager, since the previous attempts were probably as fun for him as they are for me. :-/

Any suggestions or is this just a puppy phase (i seem to recall my corgi was miserable as a puppy too). It doesn't seem to matter if we are on a road or trail - but i am also going to test this theory tonight and go to one of the hiking routes were i live.

@Shelbz93 - Sounds like he is actually REALLY excited to walk versus not actually liking it.

Humping is a way to cope with being over stimulated or over excited, so it sounds like he is just in a bit over his head. I am not sure where you live or what time of environment (city, suburban, rural) you are trying to walk him in. But I would suggest carrying him outside a few times to see if that reduces his excitement. Maybe try walking him in a less stimulating environment.

Did his breeder socialize him outside? If so, what were the outings like with the breeder?

Casey, with Bella and Nola, hanging out in the mountains of Virginia.I Wander, I Ride

I agree, it does sound like he's overexcited. Does he like carrying things on walks? Both of mine love to carry small toys or sticks or pine cones haha. I will sometimes toss the toy ahead to encourage them to move forward so they can pick it up and carry it for a bit.

Maybe you could also try practicing some of his commands outside. First only right outside the door, then slowly further away from home. Being focussed on commands and earning some treats might distract him enough to help acclimate him to all of the excitement going on outside.

@Shelbz93 - Sounds like he is actually REALLY excited to walk versus not actually liking it.

Humping is a way to cope with being over stimulated or over excited, so it sounds like he is just in a bit over his head. I am not sure where you live or what time of environment (city, suburban, rural) you are trying to walk him in. But I would suggest carrying him outside a few times to see if that reduces his excitement. Maybe try walking him in a less stimulating environment.

Did his breeder socialize him outside? If so, what were the outings like with the breeder?

I am not sure if his breeder was the most reputable :(|) , but we are actually on a farm - i own horses as well - so more rural location! He comes with me while i do my morning chores and the humping has since stopped actually! I never throught it was a happy thing, I thought it was a dominance/i don't wanna thing! Thank you for clarifying :)>-

He is having some tummy issues, so we aren't using a lot of treats at the vets request - but i have been working on commands outside with his kibble and it seems to have helped a lot. ie. being rewarded for "down" or "sit" and he begins puppy classes in about two weeks after his booster shots. He's a super gregarious puppy so the excited humping makes a lot of sense. Thanks everyone - you learn something new everyday :)